Local boys dance their way into Jazzercise instructional video

Friday

Feb 21, 2014 at 12:51 PM

Kyle and Aiden Dietrich were introduced to Jazzercise two years ago and immediately felt at home with the pumped up dance moves and singing. Now, they're going to be introducing Jazzercise moves to exercise enthusiasts in more than 38 countries.

“It think boys should do Jazzercise,” said 11-year-old Kyle Dietrich. “It’s really fun and while you’re dancing you get to sing along with the music and you also get to exercise.”

Kyle and his six-year-old brother Aiden have been a part of the Middletown Jazzercise Fitness Center’s Junior Program for almost two years now, attending classes regularly on Friday nights at the fitness center and participating in community demos during events like Relay for Life and the Middletown Old Tyme Peach Festival.

In December, the boys learned that there might be an opportunity to be in one of the Jazzercise instructional videos that goes out to more than 8,000 instructors in 38 countries. But, first they would have to audition.

“The received a routine and five days to learn it, video tape themselves doing the routine and submit it,” said the boys’ mother Jill Deitrich.

The company received thousands of tapes but the Deitrich boys were both chosen for the respective age grous to be one of two boys in each routine. Being chosen also meant that the boys were going to get to take their first whirlwind trip to California. It also meant they would need to learn a new routine. So, seven days before they were scheduled to be at their first rehearsal in Carlsbad, Calif., located right outside of San Diego, they received their new routines and got to work.

The boys are excited that they’ll be in the instructional videos but they were just as excited about other aspects of the trip as well. They got to go hiking in Torrey Pines State Reserve, Sunset Cliffs and La Jolla Cove. They also got to go to the San Diego Zoo and Lego Land. Best of all, the boys got to meet up with their old friends, the Johnson family, who moved across the country in July.

Another highlight, especially for Aiden, was getting to meet Jazzercise founder and CEO Judi Sheppard Missett so he could share his business proposal with her.

“I asked her if she could make a Wii game,” Aiden said. “She said she thought it was a good idea and that maybe they could do that.”

Jill Dietrich said that there’s a possibility that the boys could be asked back for another instructional video and that she and her husband are considering it, even though it means footing the bill again to go to California.

“It’s worth it to get to see them excel at something they enjoy,” Jill said. “My husband and I are extremely proud of how hard they worked and how focused they were. They had a lot of distractions but they didn’t let those distractions get to them.”

Jill added that many people helped make the trip a reality for the family, especially the Middletown Jazzercise community, who contributed a big chunk towards the expenses.

“They’re really a wonderful group,” Jill said.

In return, the group just wanted to see the boys have a good time.

“Oh my God. I’m just so proud of them for auditioning,” said certified Jazzercise Instructor Michelle Joshua. “The boys can certainly move and they worked so hard to get there. We all can’t wait to see the video.”